Above: Sheetal Rawal, scientist (human genetics) & founder of Apsara Skin Care
By: Marty S.
Many of us joke about our need to get “beauty sleep” - especially after a few consecutive nights of poor sleep - but there is some truth behind that phrase. Sleep has a profound effect on your body, both internally and externally. Your skin repairs itself as you sleep. If you sleep well, your skin might start to look more glowing and youthful. Conversely, if you don’t get enough sleep, you might start to see duller skin as well as puffy eyes and dark circles.
Even though we all want to wake up to glowing, younger-looking skin, you can’t say you’re going to get some beauty sleep and expect to get results. To get proper beauty sleep, you need to follow a regular bedtime routine that gives your skin the best chance at looking radiant, ageless, and blemish-free. Today, we will share with you a simple 5-step nighttime routine that you must follow if you want glowing, younger-looking skin. By following this routine consistently, you may eventually wake up to a complexion that will pleasantly surprise you.
1. Eat a Light Dinner and Avoid a Lot of Carbs & Sodium
Your nighttime routine begins with dinner. To start, you should avoid eating a meal that is heavy in carbs and sodium. According to Ayurveda, dinner should be a light meal regardless, but eating too many carbs and sodium at this time of day may cause more water retention. When you wake up in the morning, you might see a puffier face.
Unfortunately, the evidence is still unclear on whether you’re able to eat right before bed. Some studies have claimed that eating before bed can lead to heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion, and weight gain while other studies have claimed that it can actually encourage weight loss. The general consensus, though, seems to be that you should not go to bed hungry. Hunger can wake you up in the middle of the night and make it harder for you to fall back asleep; as a result, nighttime hunger may have an indirect impact on your skin. If you are going to eat before bed, make sure that it is just a bedtime snack that will fill you up before breakfast.
"[The Rosehip & Citrus Nighttime Facial Serum] takes away the tan that I accumulated that week and visibly restores my skin overnight."
2. Take a Relaxing Warm Bath
Now that dinner is done, the next step is to take a bath. Many of us take showers in the morning to wake up our body and mind, but taking a bath a few hours before bed will clean your skin and hair and get your mind ready for bed. Because your body temperature is naturally cooler at night, soaking your skin in warm water will increase your body temperature and thus encourage your body to cool itself off. Ultimately, a warm bath will lower your body temperature naturally and encourage more restful sleep as well as, hopefully, glowing and younger-looking skin. Plus, taking a warm bath may help you destress, and stress is an important factor in terms of both your sleep schedule and the health of your skin and hair.
Once you finish with your bath, you should use a massage oil on your skin so that it stays soft and supple throughout the night.
3. Use Your Nighttime Skin Care Routine
After taking a bath, you should focus your attention on your face with your skin care routine. We always stress how important it is to have a skin care routine, and your nighttime routine is no exception. In fact, this is a great time to pamper and massage your skin.
First is your cleanser. Your cleanser will clean your face of grime and impurities that it has accumulated throughout the day, for example, from sweat, dead cells, and pollution. You also need to get rid of any makeup on your face; leaving it on for too long could clog your pores and may lead to dullness and acne. When using your cleanser, try not to scrub your skin in order to avoid any unnecessary irritation.
The second is your toner. Your toner will help keep your skin fresh, tight, and balanced. Toners can also help hydrate your skin and minimize the appearance of open pores.
The third is your serum. Your serum will deeply nourish your skin with fatty acids and can also, depending on the serum, promote acne-clearing, anti-aging, and skin-brightening benefits.
The fourth is your eye serum. If you’re worried about dark circles and puffiness, now is the perfect time to use your eye serum so that it works on your skin while you’re sleeping.
Last is your lotion. Your face lotion will nourish your skin and lock in your skin’s moisture so that it is less likely to dry out as you sleep. Whatever your skin type is, a face lotion can keep your skin soft, plump, and balanced without feeling too heavy or greasy.
All of the products in your skin care routine should be gentle and natural. The last thing you want to happen is to wake up and see redness, inflammation, or an acne breakout on your skin because of some exposure to harsh chemicals like phthalates and petrochemicals.
In addition to a nighttime routine, there are tips you can implement into your lifestyle to get glowing, firm, and younger-looking skin. Watch this video to find out more. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
4. Turn on the Humidifier in Your Bedroom
If the air in your bedroom has low humidity, there is a very good chance that your skin is losing moisture as you sleep. A clear sign of low humidity is if you have noticed that your skin is drier, flakier, or duller as you wake up in the morning. As we mentioned above, one way to keep your skin moisturized and nourished throughout the night is to use your face lotion. Another way is to sleep with a humidifier. A humidifier will increase the level of moisture in the air; this will prevent the air in your bedroom from robbing your skin of its moisture. A humidifier is a great tool to use throughout the year, but it is especially useful during the fall and winter. Cold weather and indoor heat can drop humidity levels severely so a humidifier helps prevent any seasonal dryness.
On the contrary, while drinking water is normally very good for your skin’s moisture levels, you should try to avoid drinking too much water before bed. Going to the bathroom several times a night can disturb your sleep schedule, which could potentially cause issues like dull, uneven skin.
5. Mentally Prepare Yourself for Sleep
Of course, we aren’t forgetting about sleep! These tips can prepare your skin for a good night’s sleep, but if you aren’t getting enough of it, they won’t accomplish much. Some people have trouble sleeping because their minds aren’t mentally prepared to sleep; they’re either preoccupied with something that happened during the day or worried about what will happen tomorrow. If this is the case for you, one thing you should consider before going to bed is to do some breathing exercises. Your mind might be racing right now, but focusing on your breathing and your body can center your mind and help you calm down. After all, you don’t want to get too worked up and wake up in the middle of the night.
Sleep should be a priority if you want to get glowing, younger-looking skin. If you need more tips to achieve a restful night of sleep, click here.
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Go natural. It is good karma!
1 comment
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